Interview: Artist Thomas Ng Discusses Being Independent, Upcoming Single, and Future Plans
By. Alicia Zamora
Alicia’s Studio Sits Down with Artist Thomas NG to Talk about the Challenges He Faces as an Artist, Upcoming Singles, and Future Plans.
A Conversation with Thomas Ng
Alicia: Welcome back guys to Alicia’s Studio! We have our seventh special guest…
Thomas Ng: Hi I’m Thomas! I make music and yeah
Alicia: All right! Diving into the first question your music journey has been quite eventful. Can you tell me where it all began and what made you choose this path?
Thomas Ng: Okay so I actually started out as a dancer. My mom was big on K-pop and J-pop groups. So she thought I should get into that. So I started off with tap dancing as a kid at four and then I really fell in love with Michael Jackson and he sings and dances so that's how I learned. I took up singing classes and stuff. So yeah I just picked different things up.
Alicia: Okay so would you say that it has always been connected to you?
Thomas Ng: Dancing or music?
Alicia: Both
Thomas Ng: I would say… yeah. I would say so. I feel like.. You know when you listen to music and you start slowly bopping to it?
Alicia: Yeah yeah I get you
Thomas Ng: And then you start to feel relieved again… I feel like that's when I really started building that connection, knowing that music could help relieve stress and help me get through my day and vibe out.
Alicia: Okay and then you said you took singing lessons right?
Thomas: Yeah!
Alicia: After that was that what made you think “Oh I’m going to start making music? Or?”
Thomas Ng: No, I actually hated singing
Alicia: ooo okay *laughs*
Thomas Ng: So basically when I was a little kid around the age of eight I would think singing was just for girls and stuff because none of the guys were singing so I was like man. But then my mom was telling me “If you want to be like Michael Jackson you have to learn to sing and dance too”. So then she put me through classes.
Thomas Ng: But then until a little later, I started learning that if you played the guitar and if you could sing, then you’d get attention from girls and stuff. So that’s when I got into learning *laughs*
Alicia: *laughs* okay. When would you say around what age did you start taking singing seriously?
Thomas Ng: I would say.. Well, I started taking classes when I was around twelve years old. But then I started really taking it seriously when I was fifteen years old.
Alicia: Now going into your release ‘Too Close’ with fellow artist Oceanfromtheblue. How was it collaborating with him?
Thomas Ng: It was quick. My boy Marshall heard my track ‘Too Close’ that I dropped and he said “I have a really cool artist that I think could drop a cool verse on it” and yeah I just sent him the track and he sent it back to me straight away. It was really quick and smooth.
Alicia: It was different time zones right? Since he’s in Korea was it difficult going back and forth with him?
Thomas Ng: It was all through text actually so all I had to tell him was the general vibe I was going for and I just had to trust his vision and whatever he sent back to me, I loved it.
Alicia: What is the story behind your recent release ‘Too Close’?
Thomas Ng: ‘Too Close’ is about catching feelings but not being so sure whether you want to catch them or not. So it’s kind of being scared of having somebody too close to you. Does that make sense?
Alicia: Yeah it makes sense.
Alicia: With this new release, did you have any difficulties recording or creating the track?
Thomas Ng: Well working on the song I made it in like a night. I produced the beat like a rough idea and then I sang a quick melody and wrote the lyrics down. I forgot whether it was on that night but I remember dancing and grooving to it. Moving forward my old songs they’re more chill and more about heartbreak and all that. But I wanted to write songs people could move to and groove to.
Thomas Ng: So I made the song in a night and then I sent it straight to David and he just cooked it up and produced the beat then sent it back to me. It was really quick actually.
Alicia: Yeah that was going to be my next question. For future music, are you trying to venture out, or what genre would you say you're aiming for?
Thomas Ng: So I went to Head In The Clouds last year and it was really cool. I watched this artist Zion T. Do you know Zion T?
Alicia: I do !! I LOVE HIM!!! Yes! I wrote a review on his last album ‘Zip’!
Thomas Ng: He’s cool! He’s Cool!!
Alicia: He is!! His music is REALLY good
Thomas Ng: YESS! It’s really good.
Thomas: When I was watching him it was a super hot day and everyone was dying. No one wanted to move but as soon as he went out on stage and he was just moving a little bit and everyone started dancing.
Alicia: Yeah his energy is crazy!
Thomas Ng: Yeah exactly! So moving forward I want to venture out. I don’t want to make people cry at my shows anymore, I want them to be happy.
Alicia: okay okay
Thomas Ng: I want them to move at least, so I guess the music I want to make moving forward.. Well, I want to venture out and try new things so like maybe more dancey and groovy type of stuff. But at the same time, I don’t want to be tied down to a genre or something.
Alicia: Okay so you're exploring right now?
Thomas Ng: Yeah!
Alicia: Regarding goals as an artist, what would you say your goals are for this year and the future?
Thomas Ng: So, this year I’m back to being independent. Last year I was with Warner. So this year I’m back to being independent and I feel like there’s a lot of freedom that you get and there’s a lot of.. Well in terms of being creative and in terms of the way you want your music to be released and everything and promoted.
Thomas Ng: So I feel like this year I really want to build my team up again and just explore the freedom of being independent and hopefully do more shows and more music.
Alicia: How long have you been independent for if you don't mind me asking?
Thomas Ng: Yeah of course! Well, I started out independent when I was first releasing music when I was twenty in 2020. But then I was just with the label last year. So I’ve only been independent for, I’d say like less than half a year.
Alicia: What would you say has been the most difficult with being independent and having to do everything yourself and with your own team?
Thomas Ng: The pros are that there’s a lot of freedom and creativity but before I was signed to a major so the pro of being signed to specifically major labels, which is the three big ones like Sony, Universal, and Warner is that they have a lot of roots in the whole industry. But being independent, it’s like you're a seed growing again in the forest. If that makes sense.
Alicia: Right, because with a label they have more connections and it’s easier to connect. Okay, I get you.
Thomas Ng: Yeah exactly! So that’s just kind of what I’m building back up, but luckily I’ve made a lot of friends and connections back from when I was signed.
Alicia: That’s good because connections are so important in the entertainment industry.
Alicia: As an artist, what would you say has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
Thomas Ng: I think my greatest accomplishment.. I would say it’s just making music, honestly. Before I used to listen to an artist and be like “Damn how do they make that?” or “How do they think that and make something that I felt?”. But they don’t know who I am or they don’t know what I’ve been through but they’ve made something that I can connect to and I feel like now I’m starting to break down songs based on the production or their songwriting or who they referenced like who they grew up listening too.
Thomas Ng: I just have built up that skill. I feel like it’s something I’ve always wanted to do my whole life.
Alicia: Have you ever caught yourself comparing yourself to other artists and wanting to get on their level?
Thomas Ng: Oh 100%. I feel like every artist out here is because well you can’t help it. You grew up listening to these artists and I mean it’s also the same for people who are going down any path of work. For Example, what you’re doing right now. I bet some people do like hot ones, who do interview-based stuff and you gonna be thinking like dang I would love to be at that level. I feel like every artist that I grew up looking up to.. Well at the end of the day, I have to realize it’s their own journey and the way they got there, I can’t copy it, it’s going to be my own way.
Alicia: When writing music, what inspires you the most?
Thomas Ng: I would definitely say my life. Just like the things that happen in my life. I take music like therapy, you know, just a way to rant my emotions. But I also love to take inspiration from other artists. I really love listening to Lucky Daye, there’s Joyce Wrice, Demile, Caldeon, and Jordan Ward, and there are a lot of cool artists who are just trying to push the boundaries. It’s really inspiring to see people try new things and not be scared of what people are going to say about them.
Alicia: How long does it usually take you to write a song?
Thomas Ng: Usually, it can take me a night. If I’m like really inspired I’ll just write the whole thing. I’ll just play some chords and then write the melody and the lyrics at the same time. But on average the first pass would be the melodies and the second pass would be when I sit down and try to think of lyrics. But if I can’t get past it or if I don’t fall in love with the first stage where I like the melody or nothing bites my attention, it’ll take years for me to finish a song.
Alicia: Do you usually scrap any work? Even if you worked so hard on it but you're just like I don't want it anymore?
Thomas Ng: Oh 100%! Yeah, I feel like well at least me and David, we have at least plus fifty songs we’ve tried and then we were like, okay, and then just put it to the side. It’s like the tip of the iceberg if that makes sense.
Alicia: For future work, is there any artist you would like to collaborate with or have on one of your next projects?
Thomas Ng: Every time I get this question, I don’t know because it changes each time. But the artist that I would love to meet, but I feel like in terms of collaboration and seeing where the work goes, I guess it really just depends on what the art comes out to be. Like what we make in the process. It doesn’t matter who they are it’s just more like how we vibe at the moment. But I really love the artist I mentioned. I do love Lucky Daye and I would love to meet Devin Morrison. I think Tomish would be cool coming back. I love Sam Kim. I think he’s really cool. Yeah, there are some really cool different ones like Jordan Ward and stuff but yeah I’ll stick to those.
Alicia: I see you're performing on June 8th. How do you feel about that? What does your preparation process look like before a show?
Thomas Ng: I am excited! I just got here to LA so it’s going to be more of the shows that I’m doing to build up my performance performing here, especially in this area. So I’m excited but in terms of preparation and stuff if it’s by myself playing the guitar I’ll spend two hours every week trying to practice but for this one since I’m having my guitarist Lorenzo play and I’m going to have tracks so it’s going to be a whole dance thing.
Thomas Ng: So for that one, I’m just going to head to the studio with me, Lorenzo, and David, and we're just gonna vibe out and practice.
Alicia: After this show do you see yourself possibly doing more showcases or a possible tour anytime soon?
Thomas Ng: I would love to do more shows! Right now, nothing set in plan but I’m open to things and yeah, I’d love to do a mini tour or something.
Alicia: That would be so cool !!
Thomas Ng: Yeah, it would be fun
Alicia: As an upcoming artist, what would you like people to think when they hear “Thomas Ng”?
Thomas Ng: First, I would love for them to know how to pronounce my last name. It’s ng. That’s the first thing and then I would love for them to know me as that guy. I don’t want them to know me as like “Oh he’s like another this or another that”. I just want them to know me as “Oh that’s Thomas”. If that makes sense.
Alicia: No yeah it does because a lot of times I see a lot of people comparing other artists and it’s kind of like no they’re their own person.
Thomas Ng: I get it though
Alicia: Where would you like to see yourself as an artist in about five years?
Thomas Ng: In about five years hopefully a boat and doing some water sports with my friends. That’d be amazing. Hopefully being able to travel the world and not have to worry about bank and stuff and not worry about any limitations with anything. Like being able to have that true freedom as an independent artist and yeah just doing more shows and releasing more music. Hopefully an album.. Definitely a couple of albums by then.
Alicia: As an artist, what would you say has been your biggest challenge?
Thomas Ng: I was talking about this with David in the car. There's this concept of.. What’s the word.. Sound! Every artist uses this word sound and by that I mean like, they’ll be like “Oh I wanna change my sound or I don’t like my sound”. Or I like their sound more than my sound- I wanna go to a different sound.
Thomas Ng: So by that they’re just putting themselves in a box. Does that make sense? I think that’s the biggest challenge every artist faces when they start making more music and they really take on being an artist as a responsibility. This made up a box that they put themselves in, that’s been my biggest challenge.
Thomas Ng: I put myself in this box and I kind of thought it would be better if I made the box smaller, but what that led me to was just not being able to make music. So, what I’m trying to do is expand the box.
Alicia: Okay so you kind of trapped yourself?
Thomas Ng: Yes, I have trapped myself. So hopefully I’ll make the room a bit bigger.
Alicia: I get that! Do you have any upcoming projects coming out that you would like to speak about (if you can)
Thomas Ng: Yes, I am releasing a song that is coming out soon in like a month I think and it’s going to be really fun! It’s a very summer vibe. I reference Michael Jackson and some cool old-school R&B stuff. It’s something I’ve never done before, I think it’ll be cool.
Alicia: With the interview ending, I wanted to thank you for letting me interview you! Feel free to promote your new single or say whatever you’d like!
Thomas Ng: Hi guys! I have a song called “Too Close” that is out featuring Oceanfromtheblue. Please go check it out. My show on June 8th is coming. It’s happening in two days! Please come through, it’ll be really fun. Come dance with me and get to meet me and just hang out! It’ll be great.
Alicia: yay!!